UnErased: The Deportation of Adoptees in America

Kristopher Larsen spent much of his life struggling with the after-effects of trauma he experienced as a young adoptee. After getting his life back on track, Kristopher must now fight a deportation order that would separate him from his family -- and he’s using his experiences to help other adoptees in a similar situation. This is Kristopher’s story.

Susan Williams’ troubled childhood took her down a path that ended in imprisonment. But after rediscovering herself in prison and serving her time, she is deported back to South Korea - a place she hasn’t been since she was a child. While dealing with the unexpected challenges brought on by her deportation, Susan fights for a second chance at life and family. This is Susan’s story.

Anissa Druesedow has fought to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles her entire life. So when she was deported to Panama in 2006 - with no family or source of income to help her - Anissa knew that there were no limits to how far she would go to make sure her daughter was taken care of. This is Anissa’s story.

Joe Nugent lived in Texas for almost 50 years. Mike Davis was a small business owner in Georgia with a wife and kids. This episode profiles these two men, whose distinctly American lives were shattered when they were forced to leave the country they’d always called home. This is Joe and Mike’s story.

Crystal Moran is a hardworking mother of five who has lived in America since she was just three months old. But in 2016, Crystal’s life was turned upside-down when she was confronted by ICE agents over her immigration status and deported to El Salvador. Stuck in an unfamiliar and dangerous place, she has to fight to return to her home and family in the United States. This is Crystal’s story.

More than 35,000 adult adoptees in the United States spent their entire lives completely unaware that they lacked citizenship and faced deportation. Their stories deserve to be heard - in their own words. Their stories deserve to be UnErased.

Here's another Stitcher Original podcast you might like. Unladylike finds out what happens when women break the rules. This episode is all about one woman's courageous fight for her church to take her seriously. Check out Unladylike in your podcast app to hear more episodes covering topics from catcalling to cannabis. Hear Unladylike in Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2n0NMsk Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=163555 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You’re openly gay. Then you become the leader of the largest ex-gay organization and, under your leadership, many lives are destroyed. You leave that organization, come out as gay - again - and find love. Do you deserve to be happy? This is a story of identity, making amends and John Smid’s reckoning with his life. This episode is sponsored by HelloFresh (www.hellofresh.com/UNERASED60 code: UNERASED60), Simple Contacts (www.simplecontacts.com/UNERASED code: UNERASED), Away (www.awaytravel.com/UNERASED code: UNERASED), and Audible (www.audible.com/unerased or text unerased to 500500). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This is one of the rarest stories of all: a man who publicly experiences a profound change of heart. This is a profile of one of the gods of psychotherapy, who through a reckoning with his own work (oddly enough in the pages of Playboy magazine), becomes the first domino to fall in science’s ultimate disowning of the “gay cure.” This episode is sponsored by RXBAR (www.RXBAR.com/unerased code: unerased), Casper Mattresses (www.casper.com/unerased code: unerased), Audible (www.audible.com/unerased or text unerased to 500500), and Care/Of (www.takecareof.com code: unerased). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What if you’re a mother who’s a leader in the Christian community and your kid comes out as gay? Who do you call? The Mama Bears.   This is the story of one woman who created a supergroup of like-minded mothers who faced down threats of excommunication because they refused to disown their kids, and will step in if you disown yours. This episode is sponsored by Audible (www.audible.com/unerased or text unerased to 500500), Away (www.awaytravel.com/UNERASED code: UNERASED), Simple Contacts (www.simplecontacts.com/unerased code: UNERASED), and Hello Fresh (www.hellofresh.com/UNERASED60 code: UNERASED60). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This is a modern day story of Job. It starts with Garrard Conley, a young gay kid growing up in rural Arkansas, trying to find a place to stand between a devout father and unforgiving God, and ends in a dramatic escape from an ex-gay camp and the smuggling out of a book that overturns an industry. This episode is sponsored by Care/Of (www.takecareof.com code: UNERASED), Audible (www.audible.com/unerased or text unerased to 500500), Casper Mattresses (www.casper.com/unerased code: unerased), and RXBar (www.rxbar.com/unerased code: unerased). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Get the first listen to a new series revealing the hidden history of conversion therapy. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Subscribe now in your podcast app, Episode 1 premieres November 2nd. Over 700,000 people in America have been subjected to conversion therapy, the dangerous and controversial ex-gay treatment. UnErased tells their stories. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.